Young Electronics Traders Turn to E-Waste Management at Copacabana

More than 70 young electronics repairers and accessory traders at Copacabana Rank have launched a clean-up campaign aimed at tackling growing electronic waste and promoting environmental responsibility within the country’s informal economy.

The initiative, organised by Youth in Electronics (YIE) saw young traders who normally repair mobile phones and sell accessories taking to the streets with brooms, bin liners and other cleaning equipment purchased with their own resources.

The group says the exercise is part of a broader effort to encourage young people in the informal electronics sector to take responsibility for waste generated by their businesses.

YIE coordinator Bothwell Gwatidzo said the traders generated a range of potentially hazardous waste, including broken LCD screens, tempered glass, lithium batteries and plastic phone pouches.

“We realised we have a mandate. We work here. Our shops are here. We generate waste here not just paper, but broken LCDs, tempered glass, lithium batteries and plastic pouches. If we don’t take responsibility for our workspace, who will?” Gwatidzo said.

YIE was founded by Gladmore Maenzanise in January 2026 with the aim of developing a sustainable youth empowerment model focused on electronics repair, refurbishment and other marketable skills.

The initiative targets young people who may struggle to access formal employment because of limited academic qualifications, while also seeking to address unemployment, idleness and drug and substance abuse.

The organisation says it wants to equip young people with practical skills and link them to micro-enterprise and employment opportunities.

Gwatidzo said the Copacabana clean-up was the beginning of a wider programme that could see young electronics workers becoming active participants in Zimbabwe’s emerging green economy.

YIE is seeking partnerships with Junior Councillors, Junior Parliamentarians, the Zimbabwe Youth Council, Geo Pomona, companies and environmental organisations to expand its environmental programmes.

The group also plans to establish youth-led e-waste segregation hubs, where damaged electronic devices could be sorted, repaired, dismantled for usable components or channelled to appropriate recycling and disposal facilities.

Gwatidzo said the technical skills already possessed by phone repairers could be useful to formal recycling companies if young people were given additional training and certification.

“We already know how to dismantle a phone in five minutes. That is a skill a formal recycler needs. What we lack is training on safe battery handling, certification in e-waste segregation, exposure to green entrepreneurship and linkages to off-takers,” he said.

The initiative comes as electronic devices and accessories become increasingly common in Zimbabwe’s informal trading spaces, raising concerns about how discarded batteries, screens, plastics and other components are handled.

YIE says its members want to demonstrate that informal-sector businesses can contribute to cleaner public spaces while creating new opportunities for young people in repair, refurbishment, recycling and other environmentally sustainable enterprises.

For the young traders at Copacabana, the clean-up was therefore not simply about sweeping the pavement, but about taking responsibility for the environmental footprint of their growing industry.

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